Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog

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Volkan Orhon performs Harbison Bass Concerto – video

Memphis Symphony principal bassist Scott Best (who will be a guest on Contrabass Conversations in the coming weeks) recently pointed me to this great video from University of Iowa bass professor Volkan Orhon performing the Concerto for Bass Viol and Orchestra by John Harbison.

This performance is part of of the John Harbison Bass Concerto Project, an interesting initiative begun in April 2006. San Diego Symphony (and fellow ISB board member) Jeremy Kurtz writes:

From April 2006 through the end of the 2007-08 season, 15 bassists from across North America will be stepping in front of their respective orchestras to be part of a "rolling premiere" of a brand new work for double bass and orchestra. Especially exciting is that the concerto is by one of the most prominent American composers—John Harbison.

The work was commissioned in memory of David Capoccioni and Michael Hammond by the International Society of Bassists, and has been funded by the family and friends of David Capoccioni, as well as the 15 orchestras involved. This is certainly a first-of-a-kind event in the bass world, as well as for the entire classical music community. While there have been large-scale consortium projects before, none have featured so many musicians stepping out of the ranks to solo with their own orchestras. It is certainly a project that emphasizes the strong sense of community present among bassists.

Scott Best will be performing the Harbison with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra in February, 2008. Stay tuned to the blog for more details on this event, as well as other possible guests involved in the John Harbison Concerto premiere event.

About Jason

Jason Heath is the host of Contrabass Conversations, a podcast devoted to exploring music and ideas associated with the double bass. His blog and podcast are highly regarded in the music world and have been featured as top offerings in the world of arts and culture for the past decade.

An active double bass performer and teacher, Jason is a member of the Board of Directors for the International Society of Bassists. Jason previously served on the faculty for DePaul University, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Trinity International University. Jason’s former students hold positions in the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Grant Park Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, and Philharmonie Südwestfalen.